Pilot Coffee Roasters

Get coffee at union, staff were very friendly and the coffee was spot on, very friendly to animals, staff let my ESA beagle have a cup for water. Highly recommend trying out this location. So much better than Starbucks, Tim’s, McCafé. Support business like this

Great latte at around $6.60 with tax for the second to largest cup. Nice service area, fast service. Storefront looked clean and luckily it wasn’t busy so it was an in-and-out to get the coffee. There is limited baked goods that you can order at the counter. No seating within the store.

The idea of the Mango Matcha sounded delicious it was honestly quiet underwhelming. Despite the generous amount of mango syrup added to the drink it gets muted by the other flavors and you end up with a drink that has both a water down mango and water down matcha flavor

I was with my friend passing by and decided to grab a coffee here for the first time. I got a latte/flat white (not sure) but it was one of the best coffee beverages I’ve had in a very long time. The coffee was just excellent; not too milky, not bitter at all and I would dare say it beat what I make with my Nespresso at home. And the staff taking our order was super friendly! I don’t usually buy coffee when I’m out, but if I want to treat myself on my in-office days I’d definitely go here again.

The employee Ian was rude and robotic. I asked for an espresso "for here" and he said they only have "to go" cups. I pointed out the several small ceramic espresso cups behind him to which he replied: "Nop, those are just for us, that'll be 10.15$". I told me friend to cancel my coffee. I understand there's no seating but an espresso is called exactly that because it takes less than a minute to drink. 0 tact, 0 flexibility, 0 thinking. A person from Italy would be flabbergasted. All they care about is volume and $$, not service. If you can't think and serve, don't get into the service industry.. or just buy automatic coffee machines. Do yourself a favor and go to Arabica a little further down. There are a few chairs and they don't kick you out as soon as you give them your money.

I had a pleasant visit at the shop, just bought the bean. The staff was really helpful and listen while introduced well. I went there very late already, so there was not much of choices to select. The coffee is nice and aroma, we have NJEMU Kenya. Will revisit for other beans soon.

The viral mango sticky rice matcha truly lives up to the hype! I ordered it quarter sweet with 2% milk and it was absolutely perfect once stirred, smooth matcha, no clumps, and just the right balance of creamy and fruity. Also tried the strawberry matcha the same way (quarter sweet, 2% milk), and it was equally amazing. I’ve been here several times now and the matcha is consistently excellent every single visit. This has definitely become my go-to spot whenever I’m in the office. Highly recommend!

Come here all the time for my iced lattes and it’s amazing. Sadly when I tried the new pumpkin matcha - it just tasted like the cream from the foam .. couldn’t taste any matcha or pumpkin

Humble (I don't really know anything opinon..) Hands down the best coffee/roaster in Toronto... Canada? Heritage I discovered at Rooster Coffeehouse. I've bought hundreds of cups/bags. Thank you.

Was greeted upon entering the small shop and menu was clearly laid on near the cash and on the wall. I got a flat white with whole regular milk. The barista made it quickly and the milk was frothed well and heated well. Overall not bad and would come again

We stopped by pilot coffee for a morning pick-me-up. I got the iced matcha latte with oat milk. Oak milk doesn't cost extra here, which is nice! The latte was nice and smooth, and the oat milk goes well with matcha. I asked for simple syrup but I'm not sure that they added it. Nonetheless, the matcha was good quality so it was still great to drink. I also split a giant sea salt chocolate cookie with friends. The cookie was a bit stiff but the flavor was great. Very rich taste! Good place to grab a quick breakfast.

Pilot coffee is easily the best go-to coffee shop down in union station. I take the GO train to college every other day and most days I stop by pilot because it's just a reliable shop I can stop by. Baristas are always friendly and are chill to talk to. Compared to more expensive cafés that serve the same stuff for $7-8, pilot is definitely more worth it with somewhat reasonable prices at around $4-5

Stumbled upon this coffee shop on my way to meet friends and I'm glad I did. It smelled heavenly upon entrance, the crew was nice, and the Iced Americano sure woke me up.

TIP:- Just tried their coffee-was on a go go at the union station.Their coffee was absolutely divine definitely a great place to have a delicious cup of coffee.

This was a planned visit as was grabbing a danish (hint hint) nearby as wanted to try it out. The setup is nice and clean and seems quite functional and designed for the grab and go crowd. I liked the separate espresso brew heads frothing heads integrated into the counter area. Sure beats a giant espresso machine hogging space in the display area. The staff is pleasant. Here is the verdict for the cappuccino Espresso: Mellow Crema': OK Milk: Deent Latte Art: OK I guess to be fair the barista offered me more latte art next time after she saw me taking a pic. 3 Star all said and done as I prefer a bolder espresso shot. Good option for this area.

Yes it's good even though I have absolutely no business paying $5 for a latte. Small little setup under union, near the other shops. It's tiny, so it can only fit a couple of people here at once - I'd hate to be around during morning rush hour of work. Some of them were pretty friendly while I got a few blank looks, no smiles, just the up and down observations from the barista when I walked in, even when I smiled to say hi. Awks. Ordering was fast and they had dairy free milk, of course. It's 2019 - every little hipster coffee place knows we millennials no longer drink cow juice (cough tim hortons cough). One thing I did notice was that their almond milk must've been a specialty because it had a barista label on it, and usually almond milk lattes taste pretty watered down because c'mon, well - almond milk ain't thiccc. This one was more creamy, like it was a half&half...but almond flavoured. It was bizarre but I welcomed it. Overall. Yes it's good coffee, and strong. Did I pay somebody to make me a drink mixing espresso and almond milk that I can probably make for 20 cents? Yes I did. Would I do it again? Yeah, no lie I probably would. #millenialsarepoor #butwelovegoodcoffee

The one saving grace about having to wait an hour for the bus to go home post-night shift is that Pilot is open for business. Located within Union Station, the shop is small with no actual seating of its own. I opted for their VANILLA LATTE ($5.65, tax included) and honestly loved it! The vanilla is subtly sweet, beans were a little on the sweeter side as well, and the drink overall was very smooth and creamy. Made at drinking temperature, I couldn't help by finish this within 10-15 mins. Wish they had a little more variety for their coffee menu but they are specialized and good at what they do, definitely recommend!

Pilot Coffee Roasters' coffee stand inside Union Station's Great Hall probably one of the best addition or one of the best changes that happened at Union Station. I always like Pilot Coffee and this location though small but coffee is well made and with nice latte art. I was lucky there was no line up at all when I was there and services was friendly. Just happy to have one of our local indie coffeeshop/roastery that able to open up in one of the busiest travel hub in Toronto. Not another Starbucks or Tim Horton's! Now maybe we should have one at YYZ?

This place does has good coffee, however the major reason I give them 3 stars is because of the location and seating arrangement.one thing important for me when picking a coffee place is making sure it's spacious enough yet not too crowded for meeting up with a friend or getting some work done. Unfortunately, given that it's in the path, neither of those two criteria are met. With that being said, the coffee and drink menu is superb, so definitely do pass by to grab a drink to go!

After googling the best coffees in downtown Toronto, my cousin was telling me about Pilot and how he met the owners or cofounders and how they were pretty chills and how Pilot was known for the BEST COFFEE ROAST. I had time to spare before jumping on the train up north and wanted to try this new place. They have a cute little kiosk at Union station, closer to Front Street. Pretty organized and the staff are nice and chatty. This is my second time here. The first time, I tried the Chai Latte and it was okay. I love Chai Lattes and had them better other places. This morning, I tried the Mocha and got the sea salt chocolate chip cookie. The mocha was amazing, absolutely delicious, it was wasn't too sweet and you can still taste the strong coffee. All of their baked goods - looked scrumptious. My sea salt chocolate chip cookie was a perfect medium between sweet, salty and crunchy yet so soft. DO TRY THE COOKIE!! I'm going to save half for my boyfriend for him to try it. It is so yummy! The next time that I do come here, I will try their fresh roasted coffee, should have been the first thing to try before all the other drinks.

Great choice of coffee. A bit pricey but you get good quality stuff. Staff is not really friendly.

Setup is amazing but the coffee didn't match my expectations. Tasted mostly of milk unfortunately.

Cute little shop located in Union Station just outside of the TTC subway area. Stopped in quickly on my way to a work event to grab a cup of joe. I surprised the cashier by ordering an iced Americano on a -11 degree day but I was feeling super hot from all of my winter layers on the toasty subway ride. The service wasn't overly friendly but it was quick. They don't have straws (yay! saving the environment!) but the lid had a "sippy" option so that was totally fine. The coffee itself was great, smooth and not bitter. Would like to come back again to try one of their treats!

This is inside Union Station in the newly renovated flow through space between Via Rail, TTC and GO. So if you're just grabbing a coffee and you know exactly what you want, it's great. Super fast. Bring your own mug, cool. Pretty sure you get a discount for that too, but don't quote me. If you don't know what you want or want to ask a question, this isn't so much the place for that. There was literally no one else in the place when I asked my question. I flustered the staff (2 different times, 2 different people) by asking simple questions. I tried to make it easier by generalizing what I was looking for, but seemed to only confuse them more. The coffee is fine, but I've had better experiences at their other locations.

Decent drip coffee, amazing espresso (had the Yemen) but the barista wasn't very helpful or friendly. Wanted you in and out...

The perfect addition to Union Station that I never knew it needed. You see, I used to be a Tim Horton's gal. A breakfast sandwich, a hashbrown, and a coffee with 2 milks made for the perfect accompaniment on many a morning train ride to Ottawa. Then something happened. Was it that I turned 30? Was it climate change? Or did I just evolve into a coffee snob after years of living in Toronto's west end? Whatever it was, Tim Horton's stopped appealing to me the way it used to. Now, when I head out for a long train trek, I stop into Pilot and grab an americano and a nice muffin or yogurt & granola parfait. (Okay, who am I kidding, it's usually the muffin *and* the parfait.) A healthier alternative and an oh-so flavourful upgrade to my usual coffee. Thanks for being here Pilot. :)

Hidden in the labyrinth that is Union station, this quick grab n' go coffee shop really bring a little bit of sunshine to your day. They roast their own beans and the level of quality definitely reflects in the products they serve. I ordered a cappuccino and was pleasantly surprised. The coffee was bliss. Rich and full bodied. I am definitely not a coffee connoisseur nor do I claim to be. I love my coffees taken like desserts- I actually prefer my caffeinated drinks to be sweeter than most desserts I enjoy. I dislike bitterness and quite a baby about it. However, this is one of the rare occasions that I was able to enjoy the cappuccino as is without added sugar. The coffee had a very pleasant taste and the expected bitterness was muted, there was a slight enjoyable aftertaste of sweet notes following each sip. The foam provided a nice yet rich mouth feel with every sip. I quite enjoy the addictive quality of the different range bitter to sweet progression. I've never had quite the experience, it was good to the very last drop. The price is a lot steeper, but almost expected for the area. However, in fairness the service and quality will somewhat justify the tag. I love watching the barista artfully pour out the foam art. Overall, I love the experience. I would go back from time to time, when I'm not too broke. Would definitely recommend this to anyone that wants to experience good coffee. Their menu is not extensive but cover all the basis for drip coffee and espresso drinks-I appreciate that I didn't need to stand there and stress over too many options when I'm yet to be functional (aka uncaffeinated).

Nice little coffee shop in Union station. Lines were not long when I went (around 10) and they were fast. I'm not a big coffee drinker but the chai and the London fog honey latte with oat milk was delicious! They are also located to a Danish pastry shop, so after grabbing your coffee, you can go next door for a satisfying start to your day!

Having heard a lot about Pilot coffee, I actually went to union station specifically looking for them. I initially wanted to get an americano, however, it was a pretty hot day so decided to get something cold. They don't advertise it on the menu but they do have a few cold offering such as an iced latte or Mocha. I got the Ice Mocha and it was one of the best I have ever had. The espresso's taste really boosted the drink, you can tell good coffee was used to make this.

Great spot to grab a quick coffee at Union Station that isn't Tims or McD's, but if there's a line up I'd skip it. Takes a long time as most people are ordering fancy coffee drinks like complicated lattes and there is usually only one barista and one person taking orders so kinda slow. But if there's no lineup worth the visit. No place to sit down as its a to-go spot but lots of seating all over Union.

Coffee wasn't acidic and the milk wasn't burnt. Smooth flavour overall, which was really delicious. I will say the sizes are smaller vs other larger chains/even some other independent coffee retailers (I purchased a medium)

Pilot is currently a large stand located on the main floor of Union Station. The lineup varies from day to day, but what's consistent is the quality of coffee that they serve. I usually order a mocha and I find it to be very light, sweet, tasty. I think the coffee is not as strong as other places I usually frequent. However, the lightness of the coffee and the flavor is what wins me over. It's currently ranked 2nd on my list of best coffee in Toronto.

Pilot is located in the Great Hall in Union Station where I pass every morning getting off the GO. Before I tried Pilot's coffee and their specialty drinks, I thought it was too pricey for just a cup of joe so I stuck with my McDonald's coffee. I decided to treat myself to one of their flat whites ($3.50) and now I can't go back. It was worth every dollar and I am sorry I compared Pilot to McDonald's. I am happy to pay a premium for Pilot coffee. For the flat white, great steamed milk to espresso ratio, smooth, and not overpowering in coffee taste. I can go without adding in any sugar. Best of all, it doesn't leave a sour acidic aftertaste (like Starbucks). Their brewed coffee and americano are also quite good. Note, there is no seating. It's a standalone booth in the station. There is sometimes a line in the morning during rush hour but they have a system down. Staff is friendly and it's an open space so you could watch them do their barista magic while you wait for your drink.

I wanted to try coffee that's very different from my usual purchases. I walked by Union and I saw Pilot. I heard great things about this place, so I gave them a try. I ordered a brew coffee in medium size. I should of waited before I took a sip, which is what I usually do. (Per that statement, I didn't let it sit.) Anyhow, I let it cool off and sipped it. It is very different than my usual purchases from a bigger chain. They have only 1 flavour. So there are no alternative. Back to the coffee... I like the flavour as it is not overpowering. However I noticed my first sip, the flavour was sour at first? But after I let it sit, the flavour is very acceptable. The venue is clean and well lit. As this was a take out, there's not much to comment on the venue. Overall, not bad.

This location has improved insurmountably in customer service, attitude, and efficiency since it first popped up at Union Station earlier last year. Note that their space is limited; it is, essentially, a food stall. There are no surrounding tables, so no spots for chit-chatting and people-watching dedicated to Pilot's space specifically. But there are available seats within the stall's vicinity that belong to Union Station, where you can enjoy your coffee, if you plan on sticking around for a bit! I usually come by in the mornings after getting off my GO train and I go for their regular brew ($2.25 for a small, $2.50 for a medium, $3.00 for a large). The brew itself is consistently made of AWESOME. Really, really, good coffee. Delicious, no burnt aftertaste. Sweet yet tarte. Interesting flavour, and completely addicting. In short, I love the coffee here. Still deep and bold, but the flavours aren't as slap-you-in-the-face burnt-coffee-heavy as other brews. Very complex flavours, absolutely delicious. As long as this spot sticks around at Union, I'll definitely keep coming back.

So far my favorite handcrafted coffee place! I pass by it every morning and I could smell the coffee from far away. It is located on the ground level of Union Station close to the exit facing Fairmont Royal York hotel. I always order the Soy Latte which is $4 tax included. I've been noticing the long wait for drinks because it is getting more popular! However, it is sometimes difficult to know who's drink is next because it seems like 80% of the time people order the same thing. This makes it hard to see who should pick up their drink first since there's no official "lineup" for pickup. People just stand around and sometimes I just wonder if random people would walk up to grab a "free" drink. If you haven't tried it yet, you should! It's definitely better than Tims, Starbucks and McD!

I was so excited when I saw this little shop in the middle of Union Station! I fell in love with the coffee from IQ Food Co., who uses Pilot beans. I was going to order them online but then I discovered this shop! How perfect and convenient!! The espresso-based drinks are delicious; not too acidic, not too strong. The perfect balance for my taste. Two thumbs up!

Came here because IQ uses their coffee and pulls really nice espressos, so wanted to try the drinks from the roasters. Espressos are rich and creamy but I often get slightly sour shots not as hot as I would like. Still like the end result but with the same beans IQ makes better coffee. I tried their drips, the holiday blend and el cadejo. Holiday blend, you should skip. El cadejo was actually pretty nice! Their baked goods are alright. I tried blueberry vanilla scone and blueberry banana muffin. Ate them after few hours of buying them and they were decent. Probably was better when it was warmer. This is a coffee place I can't help but go especially there are not many places that do better. Def top 2 in the area.

New location in Union Station (street level right by Front street entrance). It looks like a permanent food stall... There is no seating etc. Cappuccino ($3.5) was decent. It did taste a little weaker than what I'm used to though. Even though this is closer to my office, I'll stick with Sam James coffee bar

Ossington St Toronto location is the perfect place to pick up some quick COVID. No proof of vaccination, contact tracing optional, no distance between tables and no requirement to wear a mask. Oh--and tiny, tiny coffees! Any-where else-where is bet-tere.

The store front is tiny and there's often a line up, especially during rush hour but they have the best lattes. I tried the sea salt chocolate chip cookie today and it was good but I'll probably try the earl grey scone next time.

A quick coffee stop at Union Station, nothing more, nothing less. No seating and the shop is quite small. If you have luggage it can be a real pain to enter the narrow single corridor of the shop. There's a quick grab and go packaged food fridge, pastries, and coffee. Unfortunately in terms of non-dairy milks they only had oat and almond milk tonight. Pilot coffee has a earthy tone, which some people like, but personally I prefer something smoother.

Eh it's alright if you don't like sweetened coffee. I ordered a mocha and it just tasted like cocoa powder, not chocolate and espresso. Starbucks is too sweet for my taste, but I found this one too be pretty bland. It was strongly caffeinated though, I was up all night after having half a cup at 8 am!

From one coffee addict to all of the rest of you all, this is the best coffee in Toronto. The perfect start to my morning, and a fabulous addition to my afternoon. Their house Academy blend is a solid balanced coffee, but their rotating featured blends are always great to try out!

This is some amazing coffee! I work in a cafe/ bar so I drink espresso for free all the time. But when I have to pay I'm so picky!!! I like two places in Toronto. And why I love pilot is for the coffee but also you get some great staff=service. A great cupa Without the attitude! You can tell these guys really care about your coffee experience!!!

I actually look forward to going to Union Station to stop at Pilot Coffee. Very few other reasons for happiness at Union. . . The espresso beverages and the baked goods are excellent. Probably in my top 5 favourite coffee places in the Downtown Core.

The coffee here is quite good. After three hours, I still found myself sipping on my cold coffee instead of tossing it out as it's very full bodied and tasty! Even after adding a lot of milk I can still taste the coffee, mmm. There's little acidity and I normally don't love coffee (or I just go to McDs). I also had a chai latte here. Tastes "in-house", i.e. not the gross syrupy kind, and I just had it "as is". Whether they make it from scratch, who knows. Their mocha though - OMG...it's like a latte with a mild cocoa taste, tastes almost like the nutella latte I've come to love so much at Black Canary. It's OMG-good. There's also a small selection of food here. I had a blueberry scone and it tastes much like the scones you get at other (good) coffee shops. Tasted fresh and yummy enough! The sea salt chocolate chip cookie was to die for though, and was nice and chewy too. Overall though for food there is not a huge selection so if you're looking for breakfast you might want to hit up York Concourse instead. One wish: that the cups here were a little bigger, but given the location, quality, and decent service... this is a keeper.

They make an amazing Americano, I look forward to getting Pilot's every time I'm near Union station!

Located in the great hall in Union Station, commuters and other frequenters of Union Station finally have a convenient option for really good coffee. The only downside is that it's more expensive than its sister location in Leslieville, Te Aro.

I really don't see how Pilot has the best roast coffee. I tried a regular brew coffee this morning with nothing added- it was incredibly acidic and watery. Unimpressed by their lack of decent brew. I might return to try their espresso based beverages but I don't see myself coming back any time soon. Would not go out of my way to visit any of the Pilot locations.

I've been going here since it was a small popup in union station and have always enjoyed the coffee, for a long time they had the same staff and you always felt welcome. After about 6 months in the new location, I started noticing a lot of turn over and the atmosphere of the shop began to change. They recently changed their teas and apparently chai lattes (no longer using syrup), this caught me off guard as I was expecting a creamy drink, not a tea bag with some milk (it wasn't even steamed). I asked the employee and she simply said to add sugar and told me they have used tea bags for years. Very disappointing service, Starbucks would never do this.

Tried my first Pilot cappuccino this morning and I can say it won't be my last! The taste was very smooth, the coffee was not bitter, and the wait was very reasonable for 8:15 am. It took ~ 5 minutes from ordering to having a coffee in hand, given there were about 5 or 6 people ahead of me. They were very efficient and it was probably one of the top cappuccinos I have tasted in Toronto.

Decided to drop by one morning before work. There was no line at all and the staff are super friendly. I ordered a small coffee which came out to $2.50. I thought the coffee was very smooth and not overpowering like how Starbucks coffee can be. Location is very convenient for those commuters who pass by union station but may be a little pricey to go regularly! I will definitely return to try other drinks on their small selected menu in the future.

My absolute coffee roaster in Toronto. Great quality coffee beans. I used to drive to Pilot coffee's roastery in the Riverdale area to purchase their beans. I am go glad that they have since then opened up a few stores in the downtown core, so I could buy beans straight from the stores instead.

Quick, excellent coffee in a busy train station. On top of that, friendly service! They even explained the "mod bar" (their special espresso) setup to me. Supposedly 25 across Canada... more in the US (the only other I've seen is in Hawaii).

One of the best coffee places in Toronto. Good for a quick stop before work...hipster atmosphere

I had high expectations of this place considering the reviews and marketing which suggests a connoisseur level product. The coffee does meet expectations, it's full bodied with sufficient crema. Unfortunately, like a lot of coffee places in North America, the macchiato has too much milk which ultimately overwhelms the coffee itself.